Emulsion Breakers-Separation of Water and Other Foreign Materials From Produced Crude

How It Works And Why We Use It

The most important objective of any oil production facility is the separation of water and other foreign materials from the produced crude. The breaking of these “crude oil and water emulsions” constitutes one of the more challenging problems in today’s oil producing industry.

Too high a level of produced water in the exported oil would severely reduce pumping and other transport capacity. Even a small percentage of emulsified water in crude oil increases the cost of pumping due to the larger volume and the higher viscosity of the oil. In addition, the high salinity of the water would cause corrosion and scaling in downstream operations. Using StrataChem’s Emulsion Breakers is a necessity to remove water and associated salts from crude oil in order to save money and continue productivity.

Production of immiscible oil and water through wellhead chokes and valves, along with the simultaneous action of shear and pressure reduction, often produce stable water-in-oil mixtures. The relative stability of these mixtures depends upon many factors such as water cut, the nature of salts present, the viscosity of the oil, and in particular the indigenous surfactants present in the oil.

Some of the water does not mix with the oil to give a stable mixture. This “free water” readily separates from the oil. More often, the conditions of production are such that a stable mixture is formed. Such a mixture is called an emulsion and must be specially treated before separation can occur.

StrataChem Emulsion Breakers

What Do We do?

Emulsions formed in oil producing operations are predominantly water-in-oil. Emulsions need to be resolved quickly and effectively by chemicals synthesized to have demulsifying properties.  StrataChem Team members have the knowledge and resources to treat emulsions under the proper conditions, quickly, chemically, and effectively. Leaving you with less costs and more productivity.

StrataChem successfully treats products with StrataChem Emulsion Breakers by preforming:

  • An adequate quantity of the most effective chemical.
  • Sufficient agitation to cause thorough mixing of the chemical with the emulsion.
  • Where necessary, the addition of heat to facilitate the breaking of the emulsion. “Cold treating” may be possible if the ambient temperature is above the paraffin cloud point, or if working with a frozen or icy emulsion, the emulsion is first melted. Cold treating usually requires considerably more demulsified than treating with heat. There is usually an economically effective ratio of chemical to heat, as well as a practical one.
  • Proper handling and separation of the gas before settling.
  • Sufficient time to permit settling of the released water.

THE MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE OF ANY OIL PRODUCTION FACILITY IS THE SEPARATION OF WATER AND OTHER FOREIGN MATERIALS FROM THE PRODUCED CRUDE.

THE MOST IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE OF ANY OIL PRODUCTION FACILITY IS THE SEPARATION OF WATER AND OTHER FOREIGN MATERIALS FROM THE PRODUCED CRUDE.